The government of Ethiopia is sending a rescue mission to the remote Somali region where seven Chinese oil workers were kidnapped on Tuesday. China has strongly condemned the separatist rebel attack against its interests in Ethiopia, in which nine Chinese and 65 Ethiopian workers died. The workers were abducted by the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) during an attack on a Chinese-owned oil field. The Ethiopian leader denounced the attack as "cold-blooded murder". Ethiopia has accused neighbouring Eritrea of sponsoring the ONLF, an ethnic Somali rebel group. Eritrea has denied the accusation, saying Ethiopia is trying to trigger a war. Beijing urged the government in Addis Ababa to ensure the safety of Chinese expatriates after the "atrocious" act. The clashes took place at an oil field in Abole, a small town about 120km (75 miles) from the regional capital, Jijiga.... http://news.bbc.co.uk

At least 11 Ecuadorian MPs have sought political asylum in Colombia after a state prosecutor issued warrants for their arrests for treason. More are expected to follow, according to one of the MPs, Gloria Gallardo. Some 24 MPs have been accused of rising against the government, out of a total of 50 MPs who were fired last month and reinstated on Monday. They were sacked for opposing a vote on constitutional reform which gives President Rafael Correa more power. The referendum was approved by the overwhelming majority of voters last week. On Monday, the Supreme Court said the 50 MPs' dismissals were unconstitutional and reinstated them. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6590611.stm

Blacks already feeling the pinch from a housing shortage in the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina are facing racial discrimination in their search for rental property, a survey by housing advocates found. The survey sent black and white "testers" — paired by matching incomes, careers, family types and rental histories — to inquire about openings at 40 rental properties in metropolitan New Orleans. The findings, released Tuesday by the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, found blacks encountered "less favorable treatment" than their white counterparts in 57.5 percent of those tests. In one example, an agent told the black tester who responded to an apartment ad on Jan. 22 that only one unit was available, and not until February. The same agent told the white tester later that day that two units would available Feb. 1 and mentioned two other units. A woman reached at a number for the New Orleans Landlords Association declined to comment publicly Tuesday evening. ...http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18306751/

A roadside bomb attack on an Afghan military convoy in eastern Afghanistan left seven soldiers dead Wednesday, a day after militants killed four police officers in an ambush in the west, officials said.The soldiers were part of a 10-vehicle convoy traveling in the Wazekha area of Paktika province, near the border with Pakistan, when a remotely controlled bomb exploded under one of their vehicles, said Gen. Murad Ali, the Afghan National Army's deputy commander for the southern regions.The blast left seven soldiers dead and one wounded, Ali said.The explosion occurred a day after a police vehicle was ambushed in Guzara district in Herat province, said Noor Khan Nekzad, a spokesman for the provincial police chief.Four officers were killed and two others wounded, Nekzad said....http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/04/25/afganistan.bomb.ap/index.html?eref=rss_world

Somalia's interim government is suspected of preventing humanitarian aid from urgently reaching people who have fled fighting in the capital. Western diplomats say demands to inspect all aid shipments was adding to the misery, AP news agency reports. Earlier, the UN humanitarian chief said insecurity, checkpoint harassment and new administrative directives have all obstructed humanitarian efforts. An estimated 320,000 people have left Mogadishu since February, the UN says. This is the eighth consecutive day of clashes between Ethiopian troops backing the interim government and insurgents and fighters from the city's dominant Hawiye clan. Ethiopia's prime minister says he hopes to have routed the insurgents within a fortnight....http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6590965.stm

The US Congress was today poised to defy George Bush and approve legislation calling for US troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq by October 1. Mr Bush has promised to veto the bill, setting the stage for full-blown confrontation between the Republican White House and the Democratic-controlled Congress. In a measure of the importance of today's vote, the Pentagon's top brass - including General David Petraeus, the senior US commander in Iraq - will lobby members of congress to vote down the bill. Gen Petraeus will plead for more time to see whether the troop "surge" of 20,000 extra forces can work. Only half the extra forces have so far arrived, with most being deployed to Baghdad. While the $124.2bn (£61.9bn) bill would provide money for Iraq and Afghanistan, it calls on Mr Bush to start pulling out troops later this year....http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2065279,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12